The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 512: A Grandiose Plot

Cixi's action made Ronglu, who was secretly observing Cixi, jump in the corner of his eyes.

Cixi acted as if nothing had happened. She picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then spoke with a hint of bitterness.

"Zhonghua, this matter cannot be blamed on Teng Xingfu. Do you think we are losing money by doing this?"

Ronglu sighed and said, "Queen Mother, this good man can only be played by Teng Xingfu. No one else is suitable for the role. Some are not qualified enough, and some are not of the right status. There is nothing we can do about it. We can only flatter Teng Xingfu."

Cixi also sighed, "Yes!"

"Who made us so uncertain and hesitant? We were worried that the foreigners would get angry and not negotiate peace with us. We were also worried that the foreigners would insist on pursuing the so-called culprit. We also thought that if we could achieve a better result in this peace negotiation, the court could pay less silver as compensation."

After sighing again, Cixi continued.

"It's still good to be young! For example, Teng Xingfu doesn't have so many worries. With hundreds of thousands of strong troops under his command, he only needs to think about how to defend the front line. He doesn't have to worry about anything else."

Cixi's words were obviously insincere, which scared Ronglu. He hurriedly stood up, bowed deeply to Cixi, and spoke anxiously.

"Queen Mother, we are facing a powerful enemy now, and we must not include Zhang Xiangtao."

Cixi shook her hand and smiled, "Zhonghua, there is no need to do this, you should sit down and talk."

Seeing that Ronglu still looked frightened after sitting down, Cixi smiled and said.

"It was because of Teng Xingfu's bloody battles in Zhili that I and the court were able to stay in Xi'an for a while. If Teng Xingfu hadn't been fighting on the front lines, we might have already reached Sichuan."

"Then the imperial court would have completely lost control over these cunning provincial governors, and there would have to be several mutual protection agreements."

"For this alone, Teng Xingfu has made a great contribution. He is a loyal minister who saved the court from collapse!"

Cixi sighed and said, "Even Zhang Xiangtao is like this."

"Although the Southeast Mutual Protection was led by Li Shaoquan, Liu Xianzhuang, and Zhang Xiangtao, they also had good intentions, and they still saved the southeast half of the country from war, which was also a contribution to the court. As long as the foreigners withdrew their troops, the Qing Dynasty could quickly stabilize."

Cixi sat up straight, her back straight, and spoke in a firm tone.

"Those who have made contributions must be rewarded. Although I am a woman, I know that rewards and punishments must be clear. Those who have made contributions must be rewarded, especially Zhang Xiangtao. He is not only talented, but also has a good reputation in the court and the country. After the war, the court needs people like him to stabilize the situation."

"Even Wang Zhichun and Yuan Weiting who participated in the Southeast Mutual Protection also made contributions."

Cixi said calmly, "Wang Zhichun was very effective in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion. He is a talented official. After the foreigners withdraw, we still need to be careful to prevent the remnants of the Boxer Rebellion from causing trouble with the foreigners at the border. Border provinces such as Northeast China, Guangxi, and Xinjiang need capable officials like Wang Zhichun to preside over them." "As for Yuan Weiting, although he did not contribute much to resisting the foreigners this time, he trained the troops well. After the foreigners withdraw this time, the court still needs to take precautions. The military system must be changed, and new armies must be trained in various places. People like Yuan Weiting who understand military affairs are needed to contribute to the court, and they should be rewarded."

Although Cixi's words were all high-sounding, Ronglu knew that based on his understanding of Cixi, these words were half true and half false.

Cixi had long hated those who dared to openly challenge the imperial court and disregard the court's life and death and participated in the Southeast Mutual Protection.

Although it would not matter to Li Hongzhang and Liu Kunyi who were about to die, Zhang Xiangtao, who was just over 60 and in good health, would definitely not be ignored. Placing him in the court was like hanging him high up, a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality, which would cause Zhang Zhidong to lose the foundation in Huguang that he had built up for many years.

As for Yuan Shikai, it was obvious that he was going to be of great use. After all, someone had to check and balance Teng Yuzao, otherwise Teng Yuzao would be the only one in power, and this situation must not be allowed to happen.

As for Teng Yuzao, there will be no problem. When Teng Yuzao still holds military power, he is very safe. As for the future, it depends on Yuan Shikai's methods.

The one who suffered the most was Wang Zhichun, the governor of Anhui. From what Cixi said, all the resentment towards those who participated in the Southeast Mutual Protection was directed at Wang Zhichun.

Last year, when Cixi condoned the Boxer Rebellion, Wang Zhichun dared to openly go against Cixi, and Cixi had already hated him to the core.

Not to mention a small-time Wang Zhichun, even if it was the emperor, what could he do? If he rebelled against Cixi, the one who would suffer would definitely be this governor who had neither strength nor foundation.

It was obvious that Cixi wanted to drive Wang Zhichun away. Sending him to XJ would be what Cixi would like to see most. However, by doing so, it would be too obvious that Cixi would settle the score later.

Ronglu stood up, bowed deeply and said, "The Queen Mother is wise, and meritorious service should be rewarded. This is what a wise ruler does."

"I think that many of the remnants of the Boxer Rebellion have fled to the border areas outside the Great Wall or Guangxi. Both places need capable officials like Wang Zhichun."

"However, the area outside the Great Wall is the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty. How can we allow these bandits to run rampant here? Wang Zhichun has been very effective in dealing with the Boxers. We should temporarily give Wang Zhichun a hard time and transfer him to Fengtian as the governor. After the Boxers are eliminated, the court will give him generous rewards."

Seeing Cixi nod, Ronglu continued, "Even if the peace talks are over and the foreigners withdraw, we still need to form a new army. Yuan Weiting is well versed in military affairs. How can we abandon such a talent? I agree with the Empress Dowager's intention."

"It's just that the Wuwei Right Army is a little too small. I suggest that we disband the Wuwei Army and use it as a base to build a town and expand the army. Song Zhusan and Ma Jingshan's Wuwei Left Army, that is, the Yi Army, also needs to be expanded. Currently, they have expanded to 20 battalions in Shanxi. They can also be given a town number. Order Song Qing and Ma Yukun to train diligently and use Western tactics for all training."

"Can!"

Cixi clapped her hands and praised, "Zhonghua is right. The foreigners were able to march straight in this time because we had very few soldiers capable of fighting."

"You can write a letter to Yuan Weiting in your personal name, telling him that now is the time when he is needed to serve the country. Peace talks will not be accomplished overnight. The foreigners will inevitably threaten Zeng Bing. If he declares to expand the army and prepare for war now, it can also deter the foreigners."

"At the same time, it is announced that the Yi Army will be expanded, and Song Zhusan will be temporarily appointed as the commander, and Ma Jingshan as the assistant commander. Song Zhusan will be promoted to General Fuguo, and Ma Jingshan will be promoted to General Fengen."

Ronglu understood that Cixi was worried that once the peace talks were over, Yuan Shikai would have no sufficient reason to expand the army. Only by expanding the army now could he justify himself and compete with Teng Yuzao in the future.
(End of this chapter)